Stretcher or holder attachment for tree-legs.



PATENTE'D MAY 19", 1903.

P. J. MGGRATH. STRETGHER OR HOLDER ATTACHMENT FOR TREE LEGS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented. May 19, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

PETER J. MCGRATI-I, OF RANDOLPH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO \VILLIAM B. ARNOLD, OF NORTH ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STRETCHER OPgfiHOLDER ATTACHMENT FOR TREE-LEGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 728,750, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filed December 10, 1902- Serial No. 134,616.' (No model-l T0 aZZ whom, it ntay concern:

Be it known that I, PETER J. MGGRATH, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Randolph, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Stretchers or Holder Attachments for Tree- Legs, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters'on the drawings representing like parts.

1n ironing or treeing balmoral shoes it is desirable to have some means of holding the upper tight, so as to pull out the wrinkles and keep the leather flat and even. Various devices have been provided and proposed for this purpose, most of them consisting of different forms of supporting-surfaces and a few consisting of spring devices provided with clips for engaging the upper at desired points and pulling it out straight.

My present invention is intended to engage the lacing-front of the shoe, and preferably is provided with fingers which have eyes to engage the lacing-hooks commonly provided nowadays on this class of shoes.

A distinguishing feature-of my invention resides in providing a single spring, which is preferably-adjustable toward and from the shoe with an equalizer or cross-bar having at each end a holder or retaining-hook, said equalizer, in connection with the spring and two holders, acting to bring even or equal strain upon both sides ofv the shoe or upper and also facilitating the application and removal of the stretching attachment or holder to the shoe.

The constructional details of my invention and further advantages thereof will be pointed out more fully in the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrative of a preferred embodiment of my invention, and the latter will be more particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation my invention applied in operative position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the attachment proper shown separate from the tree and shoe, parts being broken away for clearness of illustration. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the two parts of the support.

My attachment A may be applied to any usual kind of tree-leg B for use with a shoe 0, and for this purpose is shown as having a bracket or support aand threaded spur a for securing it to the tree-leg.

Referring now to the constructional details it will be seen that I provide a support a, composed of' two parts, (shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5,) which are pivoted together at a", one of said parts consisting of a detent a herein shown in Fig. 3 as at the upper side of said part, and a thumb-piece or at the inner end said piece and the other part carrying the threaded spur ct at one end and a lug or projection a at its other end, against which the thumb-piece a may strike when the detent is turned backwardly. A spring a normally holds the detent forward. The two parts of the support a embrace an adjusting-shank a whose teeth are adapted to be engaged by the detent a At its lower end the shank a has permanently secured thereto a tension device, shown as a coiled spring a", which carries at its lower end a cross-bar or equalizing device a to whose opposite ends are pivoted straps or holders ca provided, as required by the shoe herein shown, with eyes a for engaging the hook c of the shoe. This springand-equalizer arrangement is of great importance and special valuein my invention. The equalizer is self-adjustable, so that it occupies automatically whatever position is required in order to bring equal strain or pull on the two sides of the upper by means of the straps or holders e By this provision it gives a direct pull straight up in the direction required, the spread or separation of the lacingopening (see Fig. 2) being regulated by the length of the equalizer and the stretching or degree of pull being absolutely uniform, because all due to the single spring of. Also by the special construction shown, wherein the equalizer is held directly against and by the lower end of the spring a, said equalizer, while free to change position in any direction, is held constantly under a tendency to return to its normal position, as shown in the drawings, by reason of the fact that it is held directly by the spring. The ends of the spring a". may be secured to the support and equalizer, respectively, in any suitable way, said ends being herein shown as simply wrapped tightly around projecting lugs or portions of said support and equalizer, respectively, and pinched or clamped and bound thereon inimovably. I prefer this construction and claim the same in certain of the claims; but it will be understood that I do notlimit other of the claims thereto, as the equalizer may be otherwise connected to the spring, as I believe myself to be the inventor of the construction, broadly, of a device for equalizing the strain.

Besides the equalizer, I consider myself entitled to claim, broadly, the provision of a plurality of holders depending on a single spring for the united pull or holding resistance.

The lower end of the shank a has a thumbpiece a, by which it may be quickly raised or adjusted in height by the operator after having fastened the holding-straps a to the shoe, the operator judging by the feeling thereof as to the proper adjustment or strain desirable for the given kind or quality of shoe being treed.

Without undertaking to mention the various embodiments of my invention and the further advantages thereof and without limiting myself otherwise than is expressed herein and in the claims, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, comprising a support, a yielding connection secured at one end to said support, a transverse equalizer secured to the other end of said yielding connection and projecting laterally from the opposite sides of said connection, and a pair of separated holders or engaging devices secured to said equalizer, one at each end thereof, for engaging a shoe-upper at differcnt points.

2. A stretcher or hold er for shoe-trees, comprising a support, a yielding connection secured thereto, a cross-bar secured intermediate its ends to the lower end of said yielding connection, and means at the opposite ends of said cross-bar for engaging the opposite sides of a shoe upper.

3. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, comprising a support, a coiled spring secured at one end to said support, a cross-bar fast intermediate its ends on the lower end of said spring, and separated holders or engaging devices mounted on the ends of said cross-bar.

t. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, comprising a support, a yielding connection secured at one end thereto, a cross-bar secured intermediate its ends to the other end of said yielding connection, and independent holders or engaging devices pivoted to the opposite end of said equalizer. V

5. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, comprising a support, an equalizer, independent holders or engaging devices secured to said equalizer, and. a yielding tension device secured to said equalizer intermediate said vholders and connected to said support, means permitting the tension device to be raised, and automatic means for retaining said tension device when raised to difierent heights.

6. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, having a plurality of holders for engaging a shoe at different points, an equalizer for supporting said several holders, a spring carrying said equalizer, and adjusting mechanism for regulating the tension of said spring, said adjusting mechanism comprising automatic engaging means operating when the holder is moved for lengthened adjustment or increased teusion'of the spring and means for operating said adjusting mechanism by hand.

7. A stretcher or holder for shoe-trees, having a plurality of holders for engaging a shoe at different points, an equalizer for supporting said several holders, a spring fixedly secured at one end to said equalizer and at its other end provided with adjusting means movable only up and down, to which the spring is fixedly secured, whereby said equalizer is free to yield laterally, but under a tendency to maintain one position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 

